Many people now utilize LED light strips not only for indoor but also for outdoor decorating. Because of its uncomplicated style, it may be easily incorporated into any decor. The 3MM backing makes the lights easy to mount, and they look wonderful around your stereo system. Nonetheless, there are instances when you’ll need to relocate your LED light strips. You may be relocating, or you may simply wish to reposition the lights. The challenge then becomes how to safely disconnect your LED light strips for recycling.
Turn off the power to the strip of lights and then warm the adhesive backing with a hair dryer to peel it off and reapply it elsewhere. Carefully removing it at that point will prevent paint chipping. After that, you may place the light strip wherever you like with the help of an affordable double-sided sticky backing.
You now know that removing an LED light strip isn’t particularly difficult, however, you should exercise caution. It’s also worth noting that moving the light strip to a different wall requires reapplying the adhesive backing. Let’s go through some of the finer points of doing this correctly so that you may recycle and reuse your LED light strips in the best way possible.
How to Reuse LED Light Strips
LED light strips are convenient since they can be easily relocated, unlike permanently fixed light fixtures.
It would be a shame to leave the lights behind, as they look fantastic when installed. Resticking a beloved wall hanging after moving into a new home requires careful planning and execution.
However, even if you’re not relocating, you may still wish to rearrange the placement of the light strips. The vivid LED lights can detract from the overall experience of a visual entertainment system. No of your motivation for wanting to rearrange the strips, removing them from the walls will only take a few minutes of careful effort.
How to Remove LED Light Strips Without Damaging your Walls
Unless altering the color of your walls is the reason the LED light strips are coming down, you probably don’t want to have to patch up missing paint portions. Strong adhesive backing on LED light strips keeps them safely fastened to the wall. Paint can be removed by glue. You don’t want to pull the pieces off, instead, take your time and delicately peel it away.
In most cases, the beginning is the ideal place to begin. It’s annoying to try to remove the strip from the middle. This can cause problems for the strip and the wall as well. Carefully work your way down the strip from the loosened end until the whole thing is free. Now you can re-stick it to a different wall if you’d like.
It should also be noted that the adhesive backing of some labels can be too strong, making removal difficult. The light will need to stay where it is or you will need to repaint, so accept that fact and go on.
However, the vast majority of designs employ an adhesive strip that, while resilient, gives when subjected to heat. Using heat to perhaps safeguard your wall and facilitate the removal of your light strip is something we’ll go over in our step-by-step section below.
How to Restick your Light Strip Somewhere Else
The point of pulling down your LED light strips is to reuse them in another project. The strips can be used on any wall you like. The only drawback is that the light strips won’t last very long without their adhesive backing, which is lost when you remove them from the wall.
Still, you shouldn’t worry too much because you have a simple and cheap remedy at your disposal. If you want to re-stick your light strip, all you have to do is buy some Large Command Strips (available on Amazon) or Double Sided Mounting Tape (also available on Amazon) and apply them to the back.
Even though you may need a lot of command strips, you may remove them without worrying about scratching your walls because they are made with paint protection in mind.
Removing and Resticking LED Light Strips in 4 Easy Steps
There are only four simple actions you need to follow when removing LED light strips to re-stick them somewhere. Let’s begin with the simplest method, which involves heating the adhesive and turning off the light strip.
Step 1: Unplug the Light Strip and Heat the Adhesive
Light strips are a little different from other electrical devices in that they don’t necessarily need to be unplugged before being worked on. To see the very end of the strip, it is sometimes necessary to turn on the additional illumination. Although LED lights have a low voltage, they still require a 120V outlet to function. To prevent an electric shock, turn off the lights and unplug the adapters.
The glue on the LED light strip’s back is made to remain in place for years without being readily peeled off. Careless pulling on the strip could peel off the paint. Heat the adhesive before attempting to remove the light strip to prevent any wall damage (a hair dryer works great for this). Put the warmth exactly where it’s needed.
Carefully and possibly on a lower to medium heat setting, move the hair dryer along the length of the strip. All of the glue must gradually release and soften without damaging the surface. The paint won’t be damaged, and the strip may be removed with ease. If you apply heat, the strip will loosen and become easier to remove.
Step 2: Find an End and Corner
It’s more convenient to begin at the last panel in the strip, and it doesn’t matter which one you pick. Look for a nook you can squeeze into. A coin, especially a dime, is the perfect size and shape because it is thin and flat. Credit cards and butter knives can also be used. Take care not to scratch the paint with everything you use.
To do this, move the flat object under the corner. You only need to work the glue in because it will be pliable after being heated. Once you’ve got a corner up, you may work your way down the length of the cord by wriggling the object under it.
The light strip may be easily removed with a gentle back-and-forth motion that won’t damage the wall. If the adhesive proves particularly stubborn, you may need to enlist the aid of a second person to hold the hairdryer and gently reheat the adhesive as you work your way along the length of the light strip.
As the glue gives way, carefully pull on the strip. When you pull too hard, you risk ripping the strip out of the wall and maybe causing further structural damage. Once you begin taking off the LED light strip, you won’t want to stop. The adhesive was temporarily pliable after being exposed to the hair dryer, but it quickly hardened again. If you try to remove the adhesive after it has cooled, you could potentially cause damage to the wall.
Step 3: Remove the Sticky Residue
Adhesive residue remains on the wall when an LED light strip is removed. It’s nothing to worry about; all it implies is that the wall needs to be scrubbed down. You can use your thumb if there is only a small amount of residue.
In a circular motion, rub the glue that has become attached. It will curl up, making it easy to remove off the wall. Get a gentle sponge or rag and some soap and water if there’s a lot of it.
Step 4: Reapply the Adhesive and Reuse
You should reapply the glue to the LED light strips once you’ve determined where you’ll be using them again. As we indicated above, you can use one of two terrific options: Large Command Strips (on Amazon) or Double-Sided Mounting Tape (on Amazon) to effectively place your light strip back where you want it. Read this post for more useful maintenance advice to extend the life of your lights.
Common LED Light Strips
Everyone who has used LED light strips before knows their transformative power, and after you find out how to incorporate a dimmer switch, you’ll be amazed at what you can do (our tutorial). Colored lighting serves to set the mood and draw attention to certain details.
In addition, the strips are entertaining to experiment with and discover what kind of wall patterns you can make. Here are a few common models to consider if you want to decorate with LED light strips or are just starting started.
Minger LED Strip Lights
When it comes to LED light strips, Minger’s (available on Amazon) is a cut above the rest. That’s why putting them about the house is so much fun. In case you’re unfamiliar, they are color-changing lights. You can choose to have them all stay the same hue or cycle through others like pink, red, green, and blue.
The length of 16.4 feet means that it may be used in just about any area in the house. While the adhesive on the electric strip won’t keep it dry in the shower or dishwasher, it makes the strip very simple to set up and perfect for damp environments like the bathroom or kitchen.
The strip’s mild pliability also allows for more design freedom. The convenience of a remote is added.
Phopollo LED Light Strip
The Phopollo LED strip (available on Amazon) has almost 65 feet of LED lights, which could be enough to surround all four walls of a room of a certain size. If you want to make a statement, these color-changing LED lights are the answer.
The narrow light strip is conveniently pre-wound on a wheel for speedy setup. When hanging the long string of lights on the wall, you won’t have to worry about them becoming tangled.
The light strip’s adhesive backing is built to last for years. Since the strip employs LED bulbs, you know they’re long-lasting. You’re free to go with a monochrome scheme or go wild with a rainbow of hues.
Do with the light strips as you want. The lights may be easily adjusted using the provided remote.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope you now see that reattaching LED light strips is not difficult and that they are one of the most useful lighting elements you can install in your home.
You don’t have to be afraid of the procedure of relocating them because you won’t have to remove paint from the walls or damage the wallpaper. LED light strips are easily removable and reusable.
Time and a hair dryer are all that are required. The best method for removing LED light strips is to heat the glue first, as this softens it and makes the strip almost peel away.
Loosen it at one corner and take the piece off slowly and carefully. If you take your time, you shouldn’t break either the LED light strip or the wall. To use the strip on a different wall, simply apply fresh glue.
